


Farewell, my Hero

by BlackBirdAolen



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: Courage, Death, Defeat, F/F, F/M, Ganondorf - Freeform, Gen, Hylian Soldiers, Hyrule - Freeform, Link's Death, Major character death - Freeform, Multi, Sacrifice, farewell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-29
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-03-09 15:15:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3254474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackBirdAolen/pseuds/BlackBirdAolen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link has sacrificed himself in battle to seal away Ganondorf. Zelda is devastated to find Link has died - she had hoped for a more joyful reunion.</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="http://ask.fm/BlackBirdAolen">Got a fanfic idea for me?</a><br/><a href="http://cheroshseiphar.deviantart.com/">My deviantART - full of original fiction.</a><br/><a href="http://blackbirdaolen.tumblr.com/">Snippets and ramblings on my tumblr.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Farewell, my Hero

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why exactly this came to my mind. Just as a fair warning: There will be feels. And onion chopping ninjas.

"He hasn't returned yet? I see…" Princess Zelda clutched her handkerchief and nodded slowly, trying to contain her worries in the presence of the soldiers who, after a long search, had come back tired and empty-handed. "Thank you all. You may retreat and rest now."

Some of the soldiers seemed to hold back tears, and not only one of them was limping or moving in some way that suggested exhaustion and some smaller injuries. Another search party still was missing, and Zelda put her hopes into those brave Hylian men to find Link, wherever he may be at this very moment.

Zelda retreated to her chambers for the time, sitting down on her bed. She didn't allow tears to fall yet. There was no knowing what had happened to Link after they had seen the bright flash of light in the South. It was clear Ganondorf had been defeated. The darkness, and with it the monsters, had vanished from Hyrule once again. The chosen hero had defeated the demonic king, and had once more brought peace to the world. Yet, Zelda felt this crushing sadness weighing down on her. Something was wrong. She simply knew it.

"Princess?" Impa had entered her chambers, and she came over to crouch in front of Zelda and hold her hands. "I'm sure they will find him, Princess. He must be out there, after all."

"I know." Zelda managed to give a very weak smile, but overall felt too overwhelmed with sadness to genuinely be happy or relieved. "I know that he must be out there, but I can't help feeling defeated. Something seems to be wrong. Something is amiss, Impa."

Impa seemed to want and protest, but no words came. Instead, she lowered her gaze, her hands squeezing Zelda's in what seemed to be an attempted reassuring gesture. It felt a bit forced, but in this moment, it was better than nothing at all. Zelda sighed quietly, feeling tiredness creeping up on her. She barely had slept over the last few days, and she wanted to just catch some rest, before she would welcome back the last search party.

Her dreams were rather restless. Over and over again, she saw Link, how he struck down an enormous shadow, then was consumed along with the shadow in a blinding flash of light. While she knew that Link's soul always would find its way back to life, she felt an incredibly hard to bear tightness in her chest. What had happened to Link? Why wasn't he back yet, and why was he so hard to find?

Zelda woke from her sleep in the late evening. Red sunlight was streaming in from the outside, something she found a bit odd. Such dark red sunsets were relatively rare, and in her mind, her thoughts began to run rampant. Something had happened. Something terrible perhaps. In a sudden feeling of fear, Zelda nearly jumped out of bed and got dressed in a hurry. She needed to know for sure. Her heart had never told her a lie to this day. But she needed to see for herself if her terrible feeling had become bitter reality.

And indeed, her horrible suspicions were about to be confirmed. There was no more hope for the joyful reunion she had wished for.

The last search party returned with a stretcher between them. On it laid the well-known green-clad youth, lifeless and still. Zelda had to suppress the urge to scream, making it a feeling as if something was attempting to break free through her heart and chest. She slowly approached the still body, not daring to look anyone in the eye. Link had returned to Hyrule Castle, but at a bitter price.

"We are so sorry, Princess." The captain of the group looked as though he had gone through a great ordeal himself. "When we found him amidst the ruins of the unholy shrine in the south, he already had passed on. We … we don't know what happened. We found no wounds, and no signs of a struggle. It's as if his life was simply sapped from him."

Zelda swallowed thickly, then nodded faintly and knelt next to Link's body. How she had hoped for a joyful reunion. How defeated she felt right now. It was a loss so deep for her that she could no longer keep her composure and, even while still in front of her loyal soldiers, began weeping. Impa crouched behind her and gently hugged Zelda, cooing soothing words with trembling voice. Her hold was the only thing, or so it felt for Zelda, that kept her sane at this very moment.

Only as she slowly calmed down a little, she was able to look Link's body over. There were signs that he had been in a fight. Small cuts and bruises, but nothing that would have suggested brute force. There was barely any blood on the green clothes, and his expression was peaceful. A very small smile had curled his lips, and if it hadn't been for the absence of breath, she could have believed that he was merely sleeping, dreaming about the light of the Triforce.

"I wonder..." Impa grasped Link's hand and looked him over, her expression one of focus. "He doesn't look like he fell in a great struggle. More like he surrendered his life voluntarily. But I don't understand this..."

"I think I do." Zelda wiped her tears away, a sad smile coming to her face. "He must have poured his life into the Mastersword. That was the bright flash of light we saw in the south, shortly before the darkness dissipated. I believe Ganondorf had no chance against him like this. Link wanted to make sure that nothing bad would happen to us. But I do mourn that it had to happen this way. Was there no other way...?"

Zelda gently wrapped her arms around Link's shoulders and lifted him against her, cradling him against her chest and neck. She still could feel the echo of his strong spirit, and of the Triforce of Courage. Courage was that one thing that never had been broken about Link, and even now, she believed that what he had done was the most courageous he could have done. With the powerful wave of light, it was highly unlikely that Ganondorf would recover any time soon. And it was highly likely that the Mastersword had gained even more power. In the end, Link had only contributed to the incredible legacy of the Hero of Hyrule.

"Impa..." Zelda bedded Link's body back onto the stretcher. "I think we should prepare a suitable farewell for Link. He deserves being remembered. The stories of his courage, carried through time, should be added to with this day..."

"Yes, Princess." Impa rose, not wanting to bother the princess with any more questions. "I shall see to everything."

 


End file.
